Panned Padua prospect gets second lifetime win

Jaeger, a colt whose purchase I panned after the 2010 Keeneland April sale of 2-year-olds in training, collected his second lifetime win seven starts with a half-length victory this evening at Presque Isle Downs in Pennsylvania.

I labeled the (now) gelded son of Indian Charlie-The Church Lady, by Valid Wager, as one of eight "surreal" purchases from that KEEAPR auction. While he turned in a fleet 10-flat for an eighth-mile at the sale and does have several blacktype ancestors, I noted that none of those stakes horses from his female family were graded-caliber; in fact, virtually none were stakes-winners or stakes-placed apart from restricted company races or at minor tracks like Northlands Park and Hastings Park in Canada. Only one horse on Jaeger's entire page (at least at the time of his purchase) had earned more at the track than the $350,000 price Padua paid to get him.

You can credit the horse with a game effort tonight. He stalked a hot pace of 22.30 and 45.50, then persevered to wear down 7/5 favorite Peace Cat, who had inherited the lead at the top of the stretch. Final time for 5.5 furlongs on Tapeta was 1:04.83.

Still, it's hard to look past the fact that a $350,000 2-year-old was sent off at nearly 8/1 in a short, six-horse field of $40,000 claimers, and made it through the race without changing barns. And that he's earned but $46,180 toward paying back that $350K price tag, leaving him a lot of work left to do.

In Padua's defense, with only seven lifetime races under his belt -- and now gelded, "the ultimate equipment change" -- it's an effort from which Jaeger has a right to move forward.

In other "pan" news, Frothy Market, the lone horse I warned against buying out of the 2010 OBS April sale (convinced that her 9 3/5 eighth would inflate her price far beyond her value) had the best finish of her four-race career today as part of an entry at Belmont Park. While Klaravich Stables stablemate Inflation Hedge ran off with the $65,000 maiden-claimer on turf, besting even-money favorite Silver Screamer by a widening 5 3/4 lengths, Frothy Market overcame 46/1 shot Lemme to finish third by a nose, a couple of lengths behind Silver Screamer. Frothy Market, previously unplaced from three starts, has now earned back $5,542 of her $175,000 purchase price.

Finally, also at Belmont Park, one of my shortlisted horses for a client at last year's Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Sale in Timonium, Md., gave a creditable effort in NY-bred allowance company. There Goes Molly came on down the stretch in the one-mile dirt test (just as Molly normally does) to finish third at 32/1 odds, beaten two lengths by 2/1 favorite Lady Vi.

There Goes Molly failed to sell at EASMAY when the bidding stalled at only $6,000. She then filtered down to the capable hands of owner/trainer Randi Persaud after other connections failed to find the winning training combination with her. She now has won twice for Persaud and placed four other times from a sturdy total of 16 starts, for $50,380.

I know which investment I'd rather have on the balance sheet.